A big swath of Albuquerque bosque will close off to the public next week for a multi-million dollar restoration project.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A big swath of the Albuquerque Bosque will close off to the public next week for a multi-million dollar restoration project. Crews say they need to get invasive species out to help get native habitats and species thriving again.
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“Our current bosque down here is mostly non-native species. So, we have salt cedar down here, Ravenna Grass. You can also note that the kochia is really tall and very dense and those plants weren’t meant to be in the bosque—those have come up over time as the floodplain hasn’t been able to function properly,” said Diane Agnew, water rights program manager with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA).
The Bosque south of Rio Bravo is choked with vegetation—a lot of it is invasive to the area. “We are standing at the Southside Water Reclamation Plant Outfall. This is where our treated water goes into the Rio Grande, and this is also where we’re going to begin our Outfall Restoration Project,” Agnew said. Starting Oct. 8, about 14 acres will be closed off in the Bosque so that crews can get to work reforming the habitat.
It’s been a long time coming: “We first began as a conceptual project in February 2021, and then we hit the final design milestone in July of 2023,” Agnew said. Now, the actual construction will begin.
First, fencing will go up to block the area; then, people will start to see a lot of plants being removed and replaced with native species. “We also have some great plants in here that we want to keep around, like the cottonwoods, and so we’ll be coming through and strategically removing plants, and when you come back down here, you’ll see more willows; you’ll see more of the native grasses and some plants like milkweed for the monarch butterfly,” Agnew said.
“There will be a lot of dirt work, so there will be bulldozers and excavators out here as we work to replace where we’re standing now with the natural floodplain terraces, and then eventually you’ll see the new plants going into the ground,” Agnew explained. They’ll also be removing 190 jetty jacks dating back decades.
This work does mean trail access will be limited. “It may look very shocking, but it’s going to be strategic, and we really are targeting the plants that aren’t part of the riparian environment,” Agnew said.
They’re doing this for a few reasons: to restore the floodplain environment and improve the habitat for threatened and endangered species—like the Silvery Minnow—to improve water quality by helping treated water mix with the river, and to clean up trails.
“One of the biggest reasons, if you’re able to see where I’m at, the river cannot flood up here. The bosque floodplain environment really relies on the plants being watered during times of high flows; and because of the way this river has evolved over time, it can’t happen right now,” Agnew said.
“We’re going to come in and get it done all at once. So, in eight months you’ll see a fully completed project with new trails, new plants,” Agnew explained.
“We view that it’s benefitting everybody. So, anybody in the South Valley community, everybody in the greater Albuquerque area can come down and enjoy the trail system. We have beneficial habitat for species so we can come down here and see the flycatcher, the cuckoo; and then also know the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow is getting a beneficial habitat so it can increase its population hopefully,” Agnew said.
While work is underway, barricades will be up in the area 24/7; but the nearby Chris Chavez Trail will remain open. The $8.6 million dollar project should wrap up by June.
“This project is from partnership; we work with many entities to make it happen including the Natural Resources Trustee, the MRGCD, the Army Corps of Reclamation, and the City of Albuquerque Open Space,” Agnew said, “Without all those entities working together and coordinating, this project would not have happened when it happened, and we’re really thankful.”